SpinLord Nashorn Pro Version

The new Pro version of the Nashorn is a slow yet dangerous short pimple rubber.

Until now, the Degu II was our slowest short pimple rubber with a speed rating of 7, followed by the Degu with a speed rating of 8.5, and there was nothing in between. We developed the Nashorn Pro to sit between the Degu and the Degu II in terms of speed. Moreover, it offers a significantly higher disruptive effect, comparable to that of medium-length pimples. We have never had such a short-pimpled rubber in our range before, so the Nashorn Pro is a valuable addition.

The specifications:

The sponge used in the Nashorn Pro is now the medium-hard Japanese (!) sponge from the SpinLord Tiger.
The pips on the Nashorn Pro are almost cylindrical in shape — only under a magnifying glass can you see that they are slightly conical. They are also quite wide and only slightly higher than the permitted minimum of 1.0 mm. The spacing between the pimples is moderate. The pimple heads are finely ribbed.
The rubber compound is highly elastic yet offers excellent grip and is relatively soft. Despite the sponge, the overall feel of the ball is rather soft.
In practice, this means that the Nashorn Pro is the first short-pimple rubber whose pimples produce a distinctly noticeable 'wobble effect' during play.

Playing characteristics:

The Nashorn Pro is a short-pimple rubber with all-round speed. Topspins and hard finishing shots are therefore not this rubber’s strong point, but flips, counter-attacks and blocks certainly are. Flips, counter-attacks and blocks are very easy to execute with the Nashorn, offering great control and effectiveness. Backspin shots are also very well suited to the Nashorn, generating an enormous amount of spin for a short-pimpled rubber.

We primarily recommend the Nashorn Pro to players who play close to the table. In particular, the 1.0 mm version can be used effectively for backspin defence from mid-distance, though it is not suitable for offensive shots from this distance. The 1.5 mm version emphasises its blocking strengths, while the 1.8 mm version highlights its potential for counter-attacking play.

Overall, the strengths and weaknesses of the Nashorn Pro are more pronounced than those of the original Nashorn. This version is therefore significantly better in counter-attacking and blocking play, but even worse in offensive play.
The Nashorn Pro is often difficult for opponents to read and is, overall, more dangerous than any other short-pimpled rubber in our range.

While control is not quite as easy as with the Degu/Degu II, it is still more than adequate. This rubber is better suited to experienced pimpled rubber players who train regularly than to those who simply want to try out a short-pimpled rubber. However, the Nashorn Pro is suitable for players of all levels and could satisfy even top-level players.
It is likely to be of particular interest as a backhand rubber. It lacks the power required for the forehand side, so only classic defensive players would be happy to use the Nashorn Pro for their forehand.

This rubber is very lightweight!

Note on durability:

The Nashorn Pro's playing characteristics impress almost all customers. However, there is a catch: durability.

Important: this problem applies exclusively to the Nashorn Pro and, to a much lesser extent, to the Nashorn National Team. All of SpinLord's other short-pimpled rubbers offer very high durability.

With a very offensive playing style, the pimples can break relatively quickly due to their flexibility. According to customer feedback, this usually occurs after two to three months of playing for four hours a week. This is not a quality issue, but is due to the combination of a slow, hard sponge and a top sheet with straight pimples, as well as the high proportion of synthetic rubber in the rubber compound.

Therefore, the durability is significantly lower than that of all other short pimples from SpinLord. With these, pimple breakage is practically non-existent thanks to the conical shape of the pimples.

In return, the disruptive effect of the Nashorn Pro is significantly greater. There is no other product that offers even remotely the same disruptive effect and better durability. However the 'Nashorn National Team'  lasts longer due to the softer and faster sponge and is also very effective.

Please note that the text on the back of the rubber cover is no longer relevant to the current rubber. We have to use up the covers that have already been printed before we can make changes.